


Please don't read this, it's only a mock up

by Louveteau



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Multi, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:08:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24137902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Louveteau/pseuds/Louveteau
Kudos: 1





	1. Panic! At Tack

It wasn't like a thunder, one that wakes you up immediately, your heart quickening for the first couple seconds only to subside afterwards. No, it was much worse.

Sooyeon struggled, half asleep, half awake, dreaming she was underwater, where her lungs couldn't breathe, like the tides let her gasp for a second before crashing on her again, and she couldn't do anything about it, not awake enough to fight it. It took what seemed like forever before she opened her eyes, so slowly and controlled no one would've imagined the sheer weight of the ill feeling that draped over her. It made her still, paralyzed. She quickly looked over her shoulder, Seungmin sleeping soundly beside her, with his back facing her.

The hadn't been a moment she was more grateful about Seungmin's need to sleep untangled. On the far corner of the bed, almost falling to the floor, was Hyunjin, who was a far lighter sleeper than the last. Sooyeon sat there, willing the cold sweat travelling down her back to go away, for her breath to soften so she could go back to bed, but it never did.

Minute after minute it got worse, and she felt like her heart was beating fast. She couldn't stay anymore.

She took what was left of the covers off and slipped away from the ajar door with light steps, going out into the small balcony to get some fresh air. That had always helped her clear her mind, after all. It didn't make her mind think straight, even if she chill of the ceramic floor bit at her naked feet, even when the wind would crash at her face and mess up her hair. She knew all too well the cutting of the cold against her cheeks, but they didn't stand a chance against the deafening sound of her heartbeat. 

gods, what was happening to her. She had never felt that out of control before. Yes, waking up heaving wasn't something she was a stranger to, but it had never been so severe, never had she lost control over her own body. 

She started feeling hot, like her hair in her face was the thing to blame for the air escaping her, so she pulled it up on a pony tail, and when that didn't work she rid herself of the hoodie she had sneaked out of Felix's wardrobe in the early night.

"Oh fuck" Her voice came out strangled, as she quickly sat on the ground. she hadn't collapsed, but to say she had sat by her own choice would've been a lie too. 

"It's okay, it's okay.. Gotta, gotta breathe" She gulped down her dry throat, feeling her mind hazy but trying to focus desperately. She had done this before, she had gone through it and made it to the next day, it wasn't any different that time.

"Oh fuck, mhm- need to get out" She didn't even register what she was saying, trying to soothe herself the best she could, but fear had started to creep it's way onto her system, venomous, spreading steadily through her veins. She stood up, legs bucking at first, and made her way into the living room, anchoring herself in the walls, as the beating of her heart grew in speed and depth, like a drum, never slowing down. 

She pressed her forehead against the wall, closing her eyes, trying once more to calm herself, but her focus was slippery, and when she managed to get a thought or two straight, the lump in her throat would quickly shout them. That's why she didn't hear Jisung coming, only feeling the way his heels made a thump against the floor.

She hadn't wanted to wake up Seungmin and Hyunjin before, they were way too exhausted for her to make them worry, but that had been then, now she felt her body trembling, barely keeping her upright.

"Who's there?" The question had fallen out of her lips very softly, she couldn't manage to give them more strength, but to Jisung it had sounded as if she was keeping her voice down not to disturb the others. His steps to the kitchen halted, as he squinted into the dark room, sleepy smile on his face as he made his way towards Sooyeon.

"Hey, I was gonna grab a midnight snack. What are you doing awake? I'ts almost four in the morning" He put his hand on Sooyeon's shoulder, smile fading almost immediately as he noticed how clammy her skin felt. His brows knitted together and he was about to ask when Sooyeon's tortured voice stopped him.

"Ji-sung, it's beating wa-y too fast" He couldn't even ask before Sooyeon guided his hand to her chest, hunched over. He was beyond confused, until he felt it.

Her heart, racing a mile an hour.

His worry instantly kicked in, making the girl face him, taking her by the shoulders and getting closer to her, trying to read her expression in the dark.

"Hey, hey. Are you Okay? What happened?" He blindly elephant the wall, managing to turn on the kitchen light, seeing for the first time Sooyeon's pale face and unfocused eyes.

"I can't- I can't breathe -Sung" She shivered on his hold, immediately leaning into him, letting him carry some of her weight as she draped her arms over his shoulders, hiding her face on the crook of his neck.

Jisung felt scared by now, he struggled to get his head to function correctly, only managing to hold her back, his hands soothing her sweaty back.

"It's okay baby, you are okay, What do you need?" Jisung tried. Sooyeon shook her head, as if saying "no" was too much for her. Jisung kept repeating, over and over "It's okay", panicking as he felt how her breathing became even more troubled.

He was lost in thought until he heard steps from the hall, Hyunjin taking the corner, eyes barely open and bostezando.

"What are you guys doing up? I heard you talking from my room and-"

"Hyunjin- Hyunjin. Something is happening to Sooyeon a- and I don't know what it is" Jisung managed to babble out, voice laced with a level of concern Hyunjin had yet to hear. His posture straightened at the second, taking two long steps before being right at their side.

"What happened?" He looked straight into Jisung's watery eyes, before trying to pry Sooyeon's face out of her hiding spot.

"I don't know. I came to look for something in the kitchen and she was resting against the wall, I- I thought nothing but then she made me feel her heartbeat and- Shit Hyunjin, it was quick, and she kept saying she couldn't breathe and I don't even think she can stand by herself." Both of them made a concerning eye contact before Hyunjin's attention was back to Sooyeon.

"Hey Sooyeonnie, it's me. Can I look at you for a second?" His voice was soft, as if he was scared of upsetting her more by being loud. His fingers carded patiently through her hair, waiting for her as she took a couple of deep, staggering breathes before looking up to him.

To say he felt his blood drop was an understatement.

He was used to seeing Sooyeon moving around, a grin on her face, eyes lit up, alive, but right now he had to make an effort to recognise her. Her usual pale skin was a ghostly colour, covered by the sheen of sweat, her lips open, heaving and her eyes.

God, her eyes were cloudy with fear, unfocused.

"Hyunjin?" her voice came muffled, like she was talking with a pillow pressed to her face.

"Yeah, yeah, it's me" He took her cheek in his hand, cringing at how clod her skin was against his own. Sooyeon closed her eyes, frown deep set in her features before she willed to open them up again.

"Hey, What's wrong?" Jisung asked. her hold on him had strengthened all of a sudden, and her breaths were coming in quicker and quicker.

"Hyunjin" She heaved, ignoring Jisung completely "Hyunjin I- I can't see you very well" Was all she managed to say before her eyes closed and her head started lolling to the side.

"Hey, Hey! Sooyeon!" Jisung screamed, trying to hold Sooyeon's slipping body "Shit, She's blacking out Hyunjin!" Both of them cursed, Hyunjin letting go of her cheek to hold her back instead. It was hard to keep he standing, so both boys ended up sitting on the ground, Sooyeon's limp body between them.

Both of them looked at each other in complete shock, and the couldn't think of what to do besides.

"Chan! Chan! Wake up!"

Jisung's shout cut the eerie night silence, strenuous and waking everyone in the dorm in a halt.

"Oh, fuck, Sooyeon, don't do this to us, please, please" Hyunjin rested his forehead on Sooyeon's, tears already rolling down his face.

Footsteps could be heard coming from the bedrooms, and in no time the lights turned on, making both of the boys flinch as the looked at the end of the hall.

"What happened?" Chan ran straight to where Sooyeon laid, Jisung jumping out of his was as Chan looked for any signs of injury, but settling up on taking her temperature again.

"I- I already told Hyunjin. She was alone in here, against the wall and when I came to talk to her I- her heartbeat was out of hand, and then she said she couldn't breathe and-"

"And then I came in, and when I asked her what was wrong she said she couldn't see me and she just, passed out. Jisung caught her, so she didn't fall but" Hyunjin interrupted Jisung's rant, looking at Chan with tear streaked eyes. "What do we do" He finished, voice strangled.

The rest of the guys were quickly piling up a few feet away, Changbin catching them before they could get close to the others like Chan had asked him to.

Chan checked her pulse, it was quick, to a concerning level, and a look at the rise and fall of her chest told him her breathing was labored. He looked behind him, where everyone was already watching, and then to the two boys in front of him.

"We don't know what happened to her, we can't risk it being something serious" He told them, then, turning back again, he spoke to the others "Someone go look for my phone, we need to take her to urgent-" He was stopped mid sentence by Jeongin, who started to walk towards them only for Minho to hold him by the arm.

"Hyung, hyung. She's waking up"

Everyone's attention snapped back to Sooyeon, who was blinking at the bright light, trying to sit up with one arm, as the other flew to her throat. 

"I need to- ugh. I- I can't" Her own eyes filled up quickly, overflowing tears making her vision blurry.

"It's okay, we know" Chan told her. Sooyeon struggled some more before Hyunjin pulled her up, letting her back rest against his chest and clearing her face of some stray hair locks  
stuck to her forehead. She was a whimpering mess, and it broke everyone's heart seeing her like that.

Chan put his hand over her thigh, pressing it so he could get Sooyeon's attention.  
"Hey baby girl, look at me. That's it, very good," He praised once her brown eyes were set on him "I'm here for you, nothing bad is going to happen, but I need you to take deep long breaths for me, Can you do that?" He asked. Sooyeon's eyes drifted pass him, closing them once she saw the rest of the guys looking at her.

The last thing she even wanted was for them so see her elephant to such a pathetic state.

A squeeze to her thigh brought her attention back to Chan's attentive eyes, his brows knitted, like they wanted to arch but were too worried "Can you do that, princess?." Sooyeon kept her eyes glued to his, struggling to catch her focus, but after a couple of seconds she nodded, blinking to keep herself grounded.

"That's it." He repeated with a pretty smile for her. Chan began to breathe through his nose, keeping it in for a couple of seconds and then exhaling slowly. It took a couple of tries, Sooyeon having to break mid breath, but she kept trying, soothed with Hyunjin's quiet praises against her hair, his long fingers scratching her scalp like he knew she liked. 

It was silent for a while, only the deep breathes floating around, but as the minutes went by Sooyeon's shoulders began to drop, the hand on her throat now rested on her chest and her eyes were closed with concentration, trying her hardest to ignore the primal feeling of suffocation, only focusing on the next breath.

After a long breath she let a sigh, her rigid back melting completely in Hyunjin's embrace. The silence was absolute in the time it took Sooyeon to open her eyes again, a lazy smile on her face.

"It's a bit chilly tonight, Don't you think guys?". 

It was like letting go of a tensed bow, everyone letting go of the breath they didn't know they were holding.

"Oh, thank god." Came Felix's voice, wrapping himself on Minho's back to rest his head on his shoulder. He felt like he could pass out from the wave of relief that washed over him.

"Do you feel better now, Sooyeonnie?." Chan asked with a softness to his voice Sooyeon had never heard before.

She had scared him to death.

She nodded, grateful for the slow caresses to her leg.

"Yeah, but I need water really bad." She said with a raspy voice. Before anyone could offer it, Jisung sprinted to the kitchen.

"Can we check on you now?," asked Jeongin from the back. Sooyeon looked at him, worry written all over his body language. She held back a whimper, guilt heavy on her chest. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before answering softly.

"Give me a few minutes more, I'm still a little on edge here." She gave him a smile, hoping that would soothe him in some way. Right after that Jisung came through the kitchen door holding a glass of water, and he sat next to Sooyeon, holding it for her.

She said a tiny "Thanks", sitting upright with Hyunjin's help. The moment she finished her water she felt leagues better, the ill colour of her skin going away almost immediately, as well as most of the weakness she felt. She sighed once more, letting her hand run through her hair as she finally sat on her own, Hyunjin leaving a soft kiss on her shoulder before giving her space.

"Okay now, who wants to go first?" She said, brow quirked and acting like herself. Chan sighed in relief, watching her closely. Her eyes didn't look cloudy anymore, they were clear and sharp and aware.

He smiled and made way for whoever was running towards them.

Sooyeon opened her arms for Jeongin, who immediately latched onto her frame, hiding his face in the crook of her neck and holding her tightly, light tremors running over his body. Sooyeon hugged him back just as strong, running her fingers up and down his back to clam him down. "I'm sorry for worrying you Innie, but I'm better now, you don't have to worry anymore." She whispered to his ear. He nodded and hugged her closer, like making sure she was telling the truth. Once he started to pull apart, Sooyeon took his face in her hands, staring lovingly at him before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. 

She didn't feel quite ready to kiss him properly yet.

Minho gave a step forward next, but stopped himself and gave Felix a little push forward. He looked at Minho for a second, before pecking his lips quickly before sitting himself by Sooyeon's side. 

He looked troubled, like he wanted to hug Sooyeon right then and there but was too afraid he would send her back to her altered state, so he took her hand in his, staring deeply into her eyes. Sooyeon knew Felix couldn't always find the words, his feeling way too strong for him to get through them and think of anything, so she didn't blame him at all. She took him in closer, hugging him by the waist and kissing his neck, repeating over and over. "It's okay, I'm okay, I'm sorry for making you worry." 

Felix really fought to keep his tears at bay, but he ended up crying on her head anyways, silently accepting the comfort Sooyeon was giving him.

"I-I'm sorry, i should be the one telling you those things." He had managed to hiccup. Sooyeon stared up at him, a soft smile on her lips as she told him no with her head. "there's no need Lix, i want to make sure you are okay right now." She let him go, pecking his face over and over until he was giggling again, drying his tears with the paws of his sweater.

"Yah! I was worried too, why don't I get any kisses?" Jisung puffed his cheeks from beside you, but before he could say anything more Hyunjin had his lips over his. Once the kiss ended he looked at Jisung with a teasing grin.

"She's tired and you were making too much noise." That got a laugh from almost everybody, Jisung quickly shaking off the drowsy face he always made after a kiss and puffing his cheeks even more.

"Now, now, get out of my way squirrel," Said Changbin, kissing the top of Sooyeon's head. He didn't need too much comforting, he only held her for a while, whispering to her head that they would talk later, when all the fuss was over. Sooyeon felt some dread set into her, but she tried to shake it off once it was Minho's turn.

"Ah, you scared me Sooyeon, now I'll have bags under my eyes in the morning." He whined, teasing her. She punched his shoulder without any strength behind it, making him pout even more.

"I'm sure you'll be alright, pretty boy, you put so much shit on your face in the mornings that you're basically immune to bad skin" Sooyeon showed him her tongue, and he responded the same, making Chan roll his eyes.

Goddammit, would those two ever behave like adults? 

When it came down to Seungmin's turn, Sooyeon's smile fell. He wasn't looking at her, at anybody for that matter. His eyes were glued to the ground, playing with his hands and not making a move towards Sooyeon. She felt her breathing getting harder again, but she took a few deep breaths, trying to make them as subtle as she could not to worry the others again, before she spoke.

"Seungminnie?"

When their gazes met Sooyeon felt like crying all over again. He didn't look like himself at all, his puppy eyes were hurt, shiny with tears Sooyeon knew were her fault. She tried to get up but her stomach twisted, making her cover her mouth with the back of her hand in a reflex.

"Sooyeon, are you okay?" in a second Seungmin was by her side, kneeling and trying to get Sooyeon to look at him. She nodded, closing her eyes for a moment before hastily blinking the nausea away.

"Yeah, just.. Give me a sec," She smiled at him like she could, looking up before recomposing herself "Sorry, I guess I'm still a bit shak-"

She didn't even get to finish her sentence when Seungmin was launching himself to her, hugging her even tighter than Jeongin had, his breath shaky against her.

"Why didn't you wake me up Sooyeon? I thought- I thought something really bad had happened, I mean, you were on the ground and I-," A sob shook through him, making Sooyeon's heart break right then and there. She hugged him back, her own tears flowing even when she tried her best to keep them at bay.

"You should've woken me up." He repeated. Sooyeon shook her head, taking a handful of his hair before speaking against his chest.

"I'm sorry Seungmin, It's just that you guys are always so tired, you barely get any sleep most of the time, and I didn't want to take away what little rest you get," She shook her head once more, hiccuping "I- I thought I could handle it alone, I didn't know it would be this bad, I'm sorry." She took Seungmin's face and rested her forehead against his trying to calm down again.

"It's not your fault Sooyeon, but you can't keep hiding your problems from us," Hyunjin said, returning to her back and hugging her "I know you do it for us, but we're soulmates, we're here for you. You don't have to deal with everything alone baby." 

Sooyeon felt guilt creep on her again. God, she was causing them trouble again.

"I'm sorry."

Hyunjin left a kiss on the curve of her neck, kissing the top of Seungmin's hand right after.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, but please trust us with what's hurting you from now on" It took a second of thought, Sooyeon wanted to give an excuse, to defend her ways, but when she opened her eyes again she was met with Seungmin looking at her, his cheeks stained red.

The looked at each other, and Sooyeon gave in, a sigh on her lips as she nodded, kissing Seungmin's forehead.

"Yeah, I promise," She felt Jisung's smile from afar, gulping before she said the next part "But it's gonna be difficult for me, I," She took some air.

She had never had something like this, being completely accepted, being taken care of.

"I've always had to dealt with things alone, so I don't really know how to- you know what I mean," She looked at the rest, eyes glued to her. It was weird to have so much attention, but they weren't some stranger, they were her soulmates "I promise I will learn, tho, because I trust you with my life, even if it sounds bunkers." She ended, laughing at the end.

She laughed like she wanted to cry.

"That's all we need baby."


	2. Soulmate Time!

Practice had been ruthless that day.

It was twelve a.m when the guys arrived to the dorm. Their muscles ached more than normal, and it was hard to keep their eyes open. Chan closed the door after everyone had made their way through. He leaned on it and ran a hand through his face.

He had planned to go to the studio once dance practice was over, but he had abandoned that plan. He could hear his bed calling out to him from where he stood.

"Alright, Who is going to shower first?." He said to the rest. To nobody's surprise, Seungmin walked straight to the corridor, looking for clean clothes. The rest of them remained silent, sitting on the couch or on top of other members.

Chan pulled away from the door, and headed out to the kitchen to cook something for them to eat before bed. He stopped dead on his track when a hand caught his wrist. He looked back to Changbin, who seemed to be more present than most of the boys.

"Sit with us Chan," Changbin said "You're tired, let's order take out, yeah?." He smiled, already pulling Chan to sit on his lap, not giving him any room to argue his way out of that one.

Chan puffed, but leaned into Changbin's chest.

He was right, that dance practice had been especially tiring for him.

"What do you want to eat guys?." Chan asked.

There was some chat around, but they decided on chicken. It was the lazy option, nobody had the spirit to think more than necessary.

Jisung took his phone out and asked the order they usually got. After a couple of minutes the food was on its way.

There was nothing left to do but wait. Jeongin cuddled next to Chan and Changbin, taking the latter's hand and playing with it.

"Can't we go to bed without showering?," Asked Jeongin in a tired voice. Hyunjin laughed half gone, head resting in Minho's shoulder.

"You don't want to have Seungmin nag at you for half an hour, Do you?." Jeongin pouted, ignoring Hyunjin to focus on Changbin's hands. He began to fiddle with them like they were the most interesting thing in the world.

"I can tell him I showered in Sooyeon's bathroom while he was gone." He tried to reason again. It was Chan's time to laugh now.

"That could work. Knowing her she must still be back at the company." Said Felix and Jeongin agreed. He then looked at Chan for some sort of approval. Chan shook his head, with a half smile while he messed up Jeongin's hair.

"No, you're not doing that," He got up from Changbin's lap. The water had turned off "You are going to feel gross if you don't shower... Plus, your sheets are going to smell." He reasoned and turned around to go gather some clean clothes.

At least that was the plan, but he didn't manage to put a foot out of the room before Jeongin gasped.

"What's this on your arm, Changbin?."

With that question chaos unfolded.

Everyone seemed to wake up at once, talking over each other as they gathered around Changbin. Chan made a 360, joining the little crowd around him.

"What happened." Asked Seungmin, still drying his hair with a towel. Chan looked at him, expression completely lost.

"I don't kno-."

"You're right. It is another soulmate date."

...

What?

Chan made his way between the members, everyone looking at Changbin's forearm. There, the seven neat dates of the first time they met sat, one under the other. Chan focused on the last one, Minho's, and further down, where some strange brown marking sat.

His eyes opened bigger than he thought they could, all tiredness going out of the window.

It was undeniable. They had seen their soulmate tattoos appear many times and knew what they looked like. Still, they still had to make sure.

"Are you sure it's not a stain or something?." Jisung asked. Changbin looked at him in the eye before licking his finger and rubbing it on the skin.

Seungmin scrunched his nose "Gross!."

No one blinked, watching like hawks the little patch of skin. After a minute Changbin stopped rubbing it, everyone's breath seeming to hitch.

"It's not fading." Changbin had said.

If Chan thought they had been loud before.

Everyone started to freak out, trying to think who could it belong to. Chan wasn't out of his amazement when Hyunjin shouted.

"Minho, take off your shirt."

Minho looked at him puzzled, but Hyunjin couldn't wait. The idea had struck him like a blow to the face, and he couldn't stand still. He didn't wait for confirmation and lifted up the shirt to look at Minho's patch of tattoos. At the edge of his waist, below the seven tattoos, one splotchy line was present.

Heck, that one was even clearer than Changbin's.

His gaze met with Minho's, both of them making eye contact for a second before it hit them.

"He has another one too."

From then on it was a mess. Jeongin trying to get Hyunjin to read the back of his neck, while he ignored him. He checking still for something new on his collarbones.

"I've got one too," Shouted Seungmin. He held his leg up for everyone to see, basketball shorts riled up, revealing his upper thigh.

Yeah, that was a soulmate mark if anyone had seen one.

After a couple of minutes, everyone had checked their own of skin, all with a new blurry line. It was Chan's turn now. He had gone out to receive the food while all the chaos unfolded on the dorm.

Chan shut the door again, holding a plastic bag. Jisung took care of the food, taking it out of his hands and going straight to the kitchen. Felix was right behind him and hurried Chan to the center of the living room.

"Can I check up yours?." Felix was careful to ask first. Chan nodded to him, too queasy to actually say something. It felt like ages, Felix pulling down the neck of his shirt to peek at his shoulder, not saying a word.

"He doesn't have anything," He whispered at first. Chan turned around and met his stunned face, then looking at the others "Chan is clear." he repeated, louder this time.

Everyone got up, even Jisung returned from the kitchen to take a look at Chan's shoulder.

The same eight dates as always.

It got very quiet after that, Chan looked to have abandoned reality all in on of itself.

Everyone had eight tattoos now, and it meant he didn't have a soulmate the others did not.

Chan smiled and tears filled up his eyes. He wasn't betraying them now. Well, if their soulmate was the same person, that was.

A similar thought crossed everyone's mind, eyes shining with new found knowledge.

"There's," Minho stopped, deep in thought "There's only one person we all have met during this month."

"You think it's her?," Felix bit his lip, looking hopeful.

Nobody spoke about it, never stated reality, but they were aware. Most of them, if not all, felt somewhat attracted to JYP's new producer.

"I mean, she's the only one that makes sense to me," Minho continued "It works down to Chan's soulmate mark."

Oh fuck.

Chan's froze, remembering the day he had met Sooyeon again.

"Bang Chan, as in Chris Bang? We met, like, seven years ago! When we were trainees!."

Sooyeon fit into the puzzle, down to the date on his shoulder.

"I don't know what you guys think, but we should check if Sooyeon is back home or not," Changbin said, already at the door.

"Well," Chan said, still in some trance "We've got nothing to lose."

Sooyeon had left the agency early. The clock almost struck seven when she had arrived to her apartment. She had thrown her stuff to the couch and walked straight to make herself some tea. Once she had left the teapot on the stove, she leaned on the counter, sour expression to her face.

She missed the guys. She had run into Felix by accident on the halls, and she asked him where they had been all day long.

"Today's schedule is super tight. We've got to go to an interview right now, and we have dance practice until ten or so. We won't be around for the rest of the day, Sooyeon."

She pouted at the memory. The reason she usually stayed past her working hours was to spend some time with Stray Kids. She knew they were always busy.

It was in the time between practices or when they danced on their own when Sooyeon talked to them. It helped to clear her mind. She found it easy to have new ideas, or to solve a problem that had bothered her, after she spent some time with the guys.

Now, she felt like she had a creative constipation.

She made herself some steaming tea and went to bed early. At 10:30 Sooyeon was already in bed, not caring enough to wear more than a big t-shirt she owned.

She regretted that decision the moment she head the door of her apartment unlock. Sooyeon was a light sleeper at best, so the moment her loud door opened, she bolted awake.

She sat on bed, not moving to focus completely on what was happening at the other side the small apartment.

Her breath hitched when she heard whispers, many, many whispers and some footsteps.

She was soo fucked.

She got out of bed as stealthy as she could and looked around for something she could use to defend herself. She wasn't sure if someone had broken in, but she wouldn't take any chances,

"Sooyeon, Are you home?."

She let go of her breath the moment Seungmin spoke. Relief washed over her for a second before anger made its way in. Oh, she was going to murder Seungmin.

She stomped out of her room as the light to her living room turned on, revealing the hole gang there.

They were eight people, and no one had an ounce of common sense in them.

"Do you have any idea of the damn heart attack you guys almost gave me. I swear to god, I thought someone had broken in."

"Sorry," Changbin held his hands up, "We needed to ask you something important."

Sooyeon was about to state the obvious; It was one in the fluffing morning. She only managed a look, and the urgency on their faces she chose to shut up and sigh instead. Eight pairs of eyes looked at her as she rubbed her forehead, like a headache was coming in.

"Okay, I'm awake now anyway." She gave in.

Jisung opened his mouth, sure to spill a word vomit, but Sooyeon held her hand up. That was more than enough to shut him up.

"You'll have to wait for me to get dressed."

"But-"

"No Hyunjin, I'm on a shirt that covers my ass by miracle." Sooyeon gave him a stern look, her cheeks a deep red.

"It's okay Sooyeon, we'll wait for you." Felix gave her a tight lipped smile, eyes not quite meeting her own. Sooyeon muttered a thank you and walked back to her room. It didn't escape anyone the way she pulled down the edge of the shirt on her backside. With all the fuss she hadn't given her sleepwear choice a second thought.

She could feel the anxiousness coming off of her living room while getting changed. Sooyeon was back in no time, now with some underwear and old sweatpants on. She sat in front of the guys and looked at them, expecting they begin talking.

They seemed oblivious.

"So, What do you want to talk about?."

They looked at each other nervous. No one felt like talking, but in the end Seungmin walked forward.

"Um, Sooyeon," He said biting his lip. Sooyeon nodded, looking a bit puzzled by that time "We kinda need to see your soulmate tattoo."

It was like Sooyeon's face swapped with a tomato, and Seungmin wasn't any better.

"Wai- Why do you need such a thing?." Sooyeon was stammering.

It was a weird reaction, but Jisung brushed it off.

"We've got confirm something," He explained, puppy eyes and all "Please?, It's important." He joined his hands, begging at her. Sooyeon looked away, fiddling with her waistband.

"I- I don't-"

"Please? We'll do anything you ask for a week," Jeongin jumped in. Sooyeon gave him a pained look to which he only smiled.

It was unfair, Jeongin knew Sooyeon had a soft stop for him, and he was exploiting it without mercy. Sooyeon closed her eyes and sighed.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," She said under her breath. It didn't matter, because the members face lit up. "I have one condition though," The rest looked at her expecting "I need Jeongin to use a sleeping mask."

"Bu- Why?!."

"Deal," Said Changbin, ignoring Jeongin's whining.

In no time Sooyeon to came back with a sleeping mask, and Jeongin was sitting pouty and blindfolded on the couch. She made sure he couldn't see before standing in front of the rest.

God, it was going to be beyond uncomfortable.

Sooyeon sent Seungmin a pitiful look and he gave her one back. She began by gathering her long shirt on the front to keep it out of the way, and then gave a last sigh to the guys.

"You better appreciate this," She said, looking at them over her shoulder. "And if anyone teases me about this I'm gonna take the liberty to punch the living fuck out of you." Hyunjin snorted, snapping out of focus. He was about to make a comment when it happened.

Sooyeon pulled down her sweatpants right in front of them.

Everyone went quiet. It was like they had forgotten what they had been looking for to the shock of the situation.

"What's happening?." Jeongin asked with his arms crossed.

There was no answer for him.

Sooyeon tsk-ed and pointed below one of her butt cheeks "Don't stare, it's there." She helped. And there it was, beside her finger, the tiny date scribbled in dark ink.

And then it was gone.

Sooyeon pulled up her pants and turned around, crossing her arms over her chest. "Does that suffice?." The edge she had planned didn't show up on her voice, it sounding rather muffled.

Changbin looked at the rest, trying to find if anyone had found what they were looking for. Didn't seem like it.

Minho gulped, flashing Sooyeon a guilty smile "You are going to kill us. Can we look again?." Of course they hadn't.

Sooyeon didn't have it in her to say no anymore, so she turned around once without another word. She put her hands on the waistband, but didn't move them.

"I'm so gonna make you guys pay my lunch for a month." She said under her breath. She pulled her pants down again, without looking at anyone. Minho shared a look with Chan, him shaking his head.

"Um," He began again "Sooyeon, We kinda need to look closer. Is that good with you?."

"At this point my dignity is gone, so go ahead."

Minho took a step forward and knelled before her, his hand coming to rest on the side of her hip. He threw a look at the rest of the guys before looking back again at the back of her thigh. Yes there was the clear mark of a soulmate, that much they knew. He wandered bellow it and found several light brown markings, one after the other.

He couldn't suppress his smile, heart almost bursting as he turned to the others and nodded.

"Hey Chan, What's the date on yours?." He felt Sooyeon shake under his hand. It could've been from what he was implying, or it could've been from the way his breath hit her skin.

Jisung's warm hands pulled Chan's sweater out of the way, rustling preceding his voice.

"December fourteen 2014, 10:54 a.m."

Sooyeon felt the air leaving her lungs. Minho's thumb ran a line on her skin before he pulled her pants up. The moment she turned around she saw Minho's blinding smile. She looked at him like he was the only one in the room.

It couldn't be, Could it?

"Yeah, we have a match."

Oh lord.

Sooyeon's gaze met with Chan's warm one, and she shook to the core.

Had Chan been her soulmate all along?. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and before she knew, Chan had killed the space between them. He hugged her against him with all he had. Sooyeon sobbed on his shoulder, hugging him back. In his hold she was fuzzy, she didn't care about the slight smell of sweat and buried her head on his shoulder.

It felt right to have him holding her tight. She had been lonely during all those years, cold, and by contrast his warmth was so soothing. Finally, her soulmat-

Sooyeon's blood dropped. She opened her eyes.

Soulmate, Chan already had soulmates of his own.

Sooyeon pulled away from his embrace to look him in the eye. Her face screamed nothing but how much she was hurting on the inside.

"Chan, you already have- Oh god." Sooyeon felt like throwing up. She took a step back from him and didn't dare look at the rest.

She was going to be the fall of their relationship. They were so happy together and now she was ruining that for them forever.

She had always known, always feared her soulmate wouldn't want her by their side and it had come true. What was she going to-

"Hey, hey. Calm down Yeonnie." There was a hand on her shoulder, snapping her out of her daze. Sooyeon looked up to Changbin and she felt like sobbing right then and there.

"Guys, I'm so sorry I-." She began to tremble, sending the rest into panic mode. Even Jeongin took off his mask and jumped to where Sooyeon was when he heard her voice.

"It's okay. You haven't heard the rest of the story Sooyeon." Chan tried to calm her down. She looked at him like she had committed a crime, and it made his heart break a little.

"You haven't done anything wrong Sooyeon, please trust me when I say that" Hyunjin said.

She looked at him like he had struck her. How did he-?.

"How do we explain this?," Chan muttered under his breath.

Changbin put his hand on Chan's shoulder, and with one last look he gave in. Changbin guided Sooyeon to sit back on the couch, taking a seat next to her. He looked at her in the eye and took her hand in his before he spoke.

"You know that we've been soulmates for two years or so." He gestured to the rest and Sooyeon nodded "And now you also know that Chan has eight soulmates instead of seven." Sooyeon didn't answer, but Changbin waited for her.

"Yes." She finally said. Changbin nodded and kept quiet, thinking his next words with care.

"It was something that loomed over us." He took a quick glance to Chan and flashed him an apologetic smile "Chan always thought he was betraying us. He had another soulmate when we were complete." That hit a sore spot on Sooyeon, who took her hand away from Changbin.

She was not going to stay to listen how she had torn them apart.

"Noona," She stopped her attempt to stand up. Jeongin sat on the empty spot by her side, placing a hand on her thigh, eyes looking for hers "Please listen to him." Sooyeon begged at him with her eyes, but he shook his head. She sat back again.

After all, she did have a soft spot for Jeongin.

"I never shared the thought." Changbin said, "Since I saw that date I've believed there is someone else out there, not only for Chan, but for us as well."

"I found it." Chimed in Jeongin "I was playing around with Changbin and took a look at his arm." He gestured back at him. Sooyeon followed his gaze, where Changbin was rolling up his hoodie's sleeve. He offered his arm to Sooyeon, who looked at him with some reservations.

"Go ahead."

She took his arm on her hands, gaze running along the seven neat dates that edged his skin. She knew deep down what they were implying, but she didn't want to let herself believe it.

It would be painful to let her hopes up only to find she was wrong.

That's why she took her time on the last date, eyes shaking to move beyond it. There was a squeeze to her tight. Sooyeon took a deep breath and leaned on Jeongin's encouragement to dare to search bellow the ink.

Sooyeon couldn't see her tattoo without twisting and bending. She hadn't even realized she had a soulmate date until months later. She had not seen hers develop, yet she recognized the brown scribbles on Changbin's skin.

"Is it?." She looked up to Changbin, and then to the rest. They were looking at her with their unique smiles.

"Yes, it is." Seungmin answered, confident.

"After I found it we started to check ourselves," Jeongin continued.

He turned around, his back facing Sooyeon, and held his hair out of the way. She let go of Changbin to grab the collar of Jeongin's shirt. His tattoos were on full display, and at the end of them she found the same brown gibberish.

Sooyeon let go of him, words escaping her as she looked at the others. She didn't wait around, standing up in front of Minho, not knowing what she wanted to do.

It was like her mind had turned off.

"Can I?." It came out of her mouth like a whisper. Minho chuckled, pulling up his shirt.

"It's only fair, after all, we did make you take off your pants."

"What? When did that happen?." Jeongin's whine fell to deaf ears once again. Sooyeon traced the brown scribble in Minho's side and straightened back up.

It was getting harder to keep hope at bay.

"All of us have it," Felix jumped in "Well, everyone but Chan."

Her faced paled at the idea to ask, but not knowing seemed somehow worse.

"What does this mean?." She shook her head, shifting her weight from one leg to another, "I know where you're going guys. Reality is I only have one soulmate date."

"That's the thing Sooyeon." Jisung smiled and she could've sworn her heart skipped a beat.

There was no way in hell.

"I didn't care to count," It was Minho again, eyes as soft as his voice "But there were a couple forming dates bellow Chan's."

Sooyeon took a step back, then another one "I- I need to check something." That's all she managed to blurt before sprinting to her bathroom.

She didn't care to close the door completely. She turned on the yellow lights and pulled down her pants, twisting her body in front of the mirror. The date showed smooth on her skin, like it had always been.

Well, only that particular patch of skin anyways.

If she had not been looking for them, she would've mistaken them for some weird sunburn. One after the other, some more clear, the same brown scribbles that littered the guy's skin.

Her knees trembled like crazy. It wouldn't have surprised her if she had tripped in her way out, eight eyes trained on her.

"Are- Are you sure about this? I don't want to intrude in your relation-."

"Oh, shut up and hug us already." In no time she was being spun around by Jisung. He was all giggly and when he put her down, checking on her, his smile didn't bulge.

He had predicted Sooyeon would over think everything. It was only confirmation to see her concerned expression. It didn't matter, he would make sure to make it go away.

"I know it must be hard to process having more than one soulmate." Jisung snorted then, looking back at the rest of the gang "I mean, you're stuck with six idiots and one snack-."

"Thanks for the compliment, Sung." Hyunjin sang.

"Hey!, I wasn't talking about you." He puffed his cheeks like a squirrel, looking back at Sooyeon when she giggled.

He smiled. He liked it better when she was happy.

"As I was saying. I know it must be hard, but" He lifted Sooyeon's chin with a finger for their gazes to meet. "I speak for everyone here when I say this; we'll be glad to give you all the time you need."

Sooyeon was about to talk back when Hyunjin jumped in.

"What Jisung tried to say is that we'll be happy to call you ours if you want the same." He stated.

Sooyeon couldn't tell if she was on a dream by then, and she opened her mouth again.

"Yes, we're sure and serious." Seungmin said that time.

The rest laughed in the most subtle way they could, even Sooyeon seemed to crack up out of her worry. She finally hugged Jisung back, borrowing her head in his shoulder.

"I would like that."

In no time she was being engulfed by bodies, everyone joining in the group hug. Sooyeon wanted to worry, but she couldn't do that with them filling up her senses. She had to let go of her crumbling walls, happiness breaking in and flooding the last cell on her body.

By the time the hug ended, Sooyeon was lighter. She felt everyone's presence close to hers. Felix holding her hand, Jeongin latched to her back, resting his head on her shoulder. Everyone seemed to be beyond contempt.

Chan managed to rip her away from the other's grasp for a moment. He left a kiss on the top of her head before he spoke in a low voice, right on her ear.

"It's late now, but we have to talk about what it means to be a part of this relationship." Sooyeon would've worried had it been anyone else, but she trusted Chan. His calm tone told her there was nothing to worry.


End file.
